xXx 2 - The Next Level

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Movie
German title xXx 2 - The Next Level
Original title xXx: State of the Union
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 2005
length 101 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
JMK 14
Rod
Director Lee Tamahori
script Simon Kinberg
production Rob Cohen
music Marco Beltrami ,
Tupac Shakur
camera David Tattersall
cut Mark Goldblatt ,
Todd E. Miller ,
Steven Rosenblum
occupation
chronology

←  Predecessor
xXx - Triple X

Successor  →
xXx - The return of the Xander Cage

xXx 2 - The Next Level is an American action film from 2005 with rapper Ice Cube in the lead role. Filmed and directed by Lee Tamahori, who already the James Bond film Die Another Day has realized, it is the sequel to xXx - Triple X . In 2017, another part of the series was released with xXx: The Return of Xander Cage .

action

The film begins with an armed attack by unknown assassins on a horse ranch in Virginia , under which a secret NSA base is located. While the attackers kill 16 agents, base manager Augustus Gibbons (known from the first part ) manages to escape together with weapons and technology specialist Shavers . In order to determine the background to the attack, the two spies now have to act covertly and recruit a new, even more dangerous xXx special agent. Because the first xXx Xander Cage was - as the viewer learns later - murdered on Bora Bora .

Gibbon's choice falls on the imprisoned Darius Stone , a former Navy SEAL of his former special military unit. Stone, who shares an uncomfortable past with Gibbons, is initially skeptical, but then agrees and breaks out of prison with Gibbons' support. The two and Shavers then go into hiding in Washington, DC with Stone's ex-girlfriend Lola , who sells and tunes luxury cars.

In order to advance their investigation, the trio needs two things: a data hard drive and Gibbon's private documents. While Stone is successful and can retrieve the data carrier from the attacked NSA base, Gibbons is ambushed in his house, behind which George Deckert , the acting US Secretary of Defense is . Deckert also reveals that he was behind the attack on the NSA before he overpowers Gibbons and blows up his house (and apparently him too).

Stone then picks up the notebook and finds information on a certain Charlie on the hard drive. He also discovers connections to Deckert, with whom he also has bad memories: When Darius was still a soldier, Deckert held the rank of commanding general. Stone revolted against Deckert, who had ordered an attack on civilians , during a secret operation in Eastern Europe , broke his jaw in the process and was later imprisoned. xXx can finally meet "Charlie", who turns out to be the daughter of the Senator from Virginia. In addition to serving on the Senate Military Committee, she was Gibbon's congressional liaison. Charlie also believes Deckert is involved and agrees to bring Stone near him.

At the same time as xXx, the NSA in the form of Agent Kyle Steele has started an investigation into the attack. Steele initially believes that Gibbons and Stone are planning a criminal act. But when he finds out that all the soldiers from Stone's old special unit have disappeared, he too has doubts.

Charlie guides Stone to a dinner party, where Darius overhears a conversation between Deckert and Jack Pettibone , a friendly general and military chief of staff. Deckert wants to win Pettibone for his covert action, which should start in three days. Stone continues to discover not only Deckert at the party, but also his supporters from the old unit, including his right-hand man Alabama Cobb. When the conspirators discover and pursue him, Stone is able to escape with Charlie's help. She then places him in her father's house. When he was looking for a shower Charlie, it was gone. He finds Pettibone's body before the police and NSA surround the property. Steele is able to speak to Stone for a brief moment, during which the two of them share the information they have gained. When the police storm the house, Stone manages to escape by a trick and goes into hiding with Lola and Shavers.

Now hunted as a murderer, Stone has only one chance to prove his innocence: he must infiltrate Deckert's command center at a military base on the Potomac . On the aircraft carrier " USS Independence " he sees how Pettibone's troops, which are now devoted to Deckert, are apparently planning the mobilization. He also finds the gibbons believed dead and the missing half of his unit. And Charlie, who works for Deckert and betrayed him. This is where Stone finally finds out about Deckert's plan: Deckert wants to attack the Capitol with the help of the troops , liquidate the weak US President Sanford and become head of state himself. Because Sanford wants to reduce the military budget in his speech to the nation, which Deckert sees as an affront. Gibbons and the other unit members were abducted and are to be presented as scapegoats for the planned attack and the one on the NSA branch. Stone is eventually discovered and is able to escape the ship with the help of a tank.

To crush Deckert's plan, Stone mobilizes a private armed army with the help of Shavers, Lola, and his old friend Zeke . Finally, the now convinced Steele also joins the guerrilla force. Together, the group penetrates to the government district, hijacks a tank and thwarted Deckert's plans. Gibbons can be freed while Charlie is killed in the shootout. Deckert and Cobb, on the other hand, can escape with the kidnapped president in his emergency high-speed train. While Gibbons and Steele chase after the fugitives in helicopters, Stone takes up the train chase in a sports car. He eventually gets on board and can overpower Cobb in a fight in the galley before cornering Deckert. While both fight a duel, Gibbons and Steele get the President on board the helicopter and destroy the train with a missile, killing Deckert. At the last second, Stone managed to escape the flaming inferno and jump over a river viaduct in a risky action .

Stone is rehabilitated while Sanford awards Steele for the service. The film ends with Gibbons, Steele and Shavers philosophizing about recruiting a new, even more dangerous xXx.

background

  • The film grossed only $ 71 million at the box office, making it a big flop as the box office revenue was offset by production costs of $ 150 million.
  • In the film, reference is made to the fictional information that Darius Stone, as Navy Seal, made the highest dive jump in the history of the United States Navy from over 250 feet . While the NSA is examining his résumé, private pictures from Ice Cube's youth are shown.
  • In several places reference is made to the late rapper Tupac Shakur and his saying: "Wars come and go, but my soldiers stand forever".

Reviews

"Soulless action spectacle as a series of dull material battles that supplies one-dimensional heroic clichés with no irony."

- Lexicon of international film

Film music

The soundtrack includes the following songs:

The song that is played by three women with violins during the reception cannot be found on the OST CD. It is " Victory " , which on the album Born the band Bond has been released.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Age rating for XXx 2 - The Next Level . Youth Media Commission .
  2. ↑ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=xxx2.htm
  3. ↑ XXx 2 - The Next Level. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used